A silver halide reversal photographic light-sensitive material has been required so far to have a variety of characteristics. It has therefore been essential that a silver halide reversal photograph is to be provided with improved color reproduction and more desirable gradation so as to meet the demands for making an image quality higher.
In the case of silver halide reversal photographic light-sensitive materials, it has practically been impossible to apply a technique of compensating the side-absorption of a coloring matter by making use of such a colored coupler as those having been applied to a color negative light-sensitive material but a development effect has mainly been utilized instead. Namely, there has utilized such an effect that the development of the silver halide in one emulsion layer inhibits those in the other layers, that is so-called an interimage effect (hereinafter abbreviated to an IIE). Because one of the most popular development-inhibiting substances is iodine ion, there have been well-known techniques for increasing IIE, in which, for example, the iodide contents of silver halide emulsions are controlled separately by each layer, or the silver iodide contents of both of the surfaces and insides of silver halide grains are adjusted. Also, Japanese Patent Examined Publication No. 35011-1984 and Japanese Patent Publication Open to Public Inspection (hereinafter referred to as Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication) No. 91946-1987 disclose the techniques in which a fogged emulsion or an internally fogged emulsion is utilized. Further, Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication No. 51941-1976 discloses a hydroquinone derivative capable of releasing an organic inhibitor. In the above-given techniques on the whole, an IIE control is attempted in the primary developing step, however, a satisfactory effect has not always been achieved, because the above-mentioned means has generally little effect on an attempt to increase an IIE in the primary developing step, i.e., the black-and-white development step of a color reversal process and the means has further raised the problems of various bad influences such as a faulty desalting which is apt to occur when a silver iodide content is increased and stains which is produced in the secondary development step.
On the other hand, there has been a well-known attempt that an interlayer effect is tried to be produced in a color developing step, i.e., in the secondary developing step of a reversal process. Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication No. 84646-1986, for example, discloses a technique in which an IIE is obtained by diffusing scavengers for the oxidized products of a color developing agent from one layer into the other layers so that the color density of the layers may be regulated. This technique has many passive advantages because the primary development is not seriously affected, however, the positive effects thereof are not so noticeable. Therefore, a technique capable of increasing an IIE has so far been demanded for.
Meanwhile, gradation may be regarded as an essential factor exerting an influence upon the image quality of silver halide reversal light-sensitive materials. In silver halide reversal light-sensitive materials, such gradation may be controlled mainly by changing the characteristics of silver halide grains. Namely, an aimed gradation may be obtained by controlling the iodide contents of silver halides or by mixing plural silver halides which are different in grain size and sensitivity. However, these techniques have not been satisfactory, because not only any great effect has not been expectable in general, but also many problems have been raised, such as a faulty desalting which is apt to occur when a silver iodide content is increased and a graininess deterioration which is apt to occur when a grain size is enlarged.
There is also a well-known means in which a gradation may be adjusted by making use of two silver halide emulsion layers each different in speed. In this means, however, an IIE has been apt to further decrease, while an aimed gradation has readily been obtainable and both of color reproduction and gradation have been very hardly compatible with each other.